


What the Cat Dragged in

by eldritch_tupperware



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:28:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28369896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eldritch_tupperware/pseuds/eldritch_tupperware
Summary: Everything about Zolf's new flat is perfect. If only his cat would stay away from his neighbour's house.Zoscar and cats what more could one ask for
Relationships: Zolf Smith & Oscar Wilde, Zolf Smith/Oscar Wilde
Kudos: 25





	What the Cat Dragged in

Zolf liked his new flat. It was cozy, affordable and located in a nice suburban area. Most importantly it was on the ground floor and he had his own garden which meant that he could do some gardening and he was able to let his cat go outside. It wasn't exactly his cat. Zolf's brother was out of the country for a year for work related reasons and he had gladly agreed to take care of Ernest for that period of time. 

Personally, Zolf thought that Ernest was one of the most stupid names one could give a cat but unfortunately the Calico tomcat only reacted to that name. 

The first three days were a nightmare. His brother had advised him to keep Ernest inside for the first week in order to allow him to get used to his new surroundings but Zolf had to give in after three days to preserve his own sanity. 

His garden bordered on another house to the left and there were several gardens Ernest was eager to explore. Both Zolf and the cat were much more relaxed once they had gotten used to their new surroundings and Ernest stayed with him for most of the day, taking every opportunity he could get to sleep on his lap. 

Most days Earnest was only gone for a few hours at a time but one day Zolf didn't see him the whole day. The cat finally came back in the evening and when Zolf picked him up and held him against his chest he smelled a residue of perfume on Ernest. The fragrance was sweet and heavy and to Zolf smelled much too decadent and expensive. 

What surprised Zolf most was that Ernest didn't even complain about the lack of food that day. The only possible explanation Zolf could think of was that the cat had both been cuddled and fed by someone else.

The next day Zolf was pulling weeds out of the flower beds in his garden when he noticed another cat in the adjacent garden. 

A well fed Siamese cat was sitting on the immaculate lawn, watching him with icy blue eyes. Zolf didn't explicitly dislike that breed of cats, he just had some prejudices against their owners. The perfectly trimmed hedges along with the garish colours of the flowerbeds only added to his preconceptions. He couldn't help but imagine some middle aged widow with too much money and too little sense of modesty living there. Overall he didn't have the slightest motivation to introduce himself to his new neighbour. 

The following week Ernest was coming home less and less and Zolf barely had too feed him anymore. On the rare occasion that the cat still cuddled with him he always had the same trace of perfume on him. 

One evening Zolf even saw him coming out of his neighbour's patio door and that was enough proof for him to decide to confront them.

There was only one door bell labeled 'Wilde' so Zolf had no difficulty finding the responsible neighbour. After ringing the bell he waited about one minute in front of the house which was both much larger and more modern than the one he shared with his neighbours upstairs. When it became obvious that no one was going to open the door he decided to just leave a note in the mailbox. After all, Zolf thought, that may have been the better solution as he didn't have to confront them directly and didn't risk letting his anger get the better of himself. 

Unfortunately nothing changed within the next week and Ernest was even gone for two consecutive days one time. When the cat returned again, reeking of that flowery scent which Zolf had grown to hate by now.

That was when Zolf decided he had enough and stormed over to his neighbours house without any hesitation. 

He was still pushing the door bell impatiently when he finally heard footsteps approach along with a light being turned on in the hallway. 

'Yes, how may I help you?', a smooth male voice asked as soon as the door opened. 

Zolf drew in a deep breath, regaining his composure as he registered the figure in the doorway. The person in front of him was everything he didn't expect. The man seemed to be in his early thirties with a tall and lean figure and, Zolf hated to admit, incredibly handsome face which was currently looking Zolf up and down not even remotely subtle . The one thing he had been right about was a sense of vanity which his perfectly curled hair and slightly too unbuttoned shirt suggested. Realizing he hadn't said anything yet Zolf began a monologue he had already practiced in his head several times:'I'm sorry to disturb you but you really need to stop letting my cat into your house and feeding him. Don't deny that he stays at your house all the time, I literally saw the cat getting out of your patio door. After all he is still my cat and you have no right to keep him at your house all the time. I'm sure you wouldn't like it if I did the same with your cat.‘ Zolf finished, proud of himself for staying coherent and not sounding too exasperated. 

'Oh, I'm terribly sorry, I didn't realize he was your cat. Why don't you come in so we can discuss everything over a cup of tea?', his neighbour suggested. The complacent smile forming on his face along with the all too familiar smell of his perfume only made Zolf more irritated but he agreed anyway. 

'I didn't quite catch your name, care to introduce yourself?', his neighbour remarked while leading Zolf into his living room.

'Zolf Smith, I live in the house next to you, the garden on the right side to yours is mine. Just moved in about a month ago.'

'Of course, I saw you gardening a few times. I'm Oscar, pleasure to meet you', Wilde said offering a seat on a chaise lounge to Zolf. As soon as he sat down the Siamese cat jumped on his lap and he started petting it absentmindedly, calmed by it's purring.

'As I see Ernest is just as fond of you as I am', Wilde noted. 

'Your cat is also named Earnest?', Zolf asked, willfully ignoring all other implications of what Wilde had said. 

'Are you telling me your cat has the same name as mine? I suspected as much when he came into my house when I called for this beautiful boy. What a peculiar coincidence', Wilde said stroking Ernest's chin, the cat still on Zolf's lap. Being this close to the man Zolf couldn't help but notice how nice the perfume smelled on Wilde himself and for a brief moment he had to fight the urge to lean in closer.

'I guess it is, even though I didn't name him myself. He belongs to my brother which is also why I want to make sure he's with me most of the time. My brother trusts me with this and I'm sure he wouldn't want his cat to stay with some stranger all the time', Zolf said, feeling that the cat on his lap quite undermined his serious tone.

'Of course, that's perfectly reasonable. To be honest I thought somebody had abandoned him and that was the reason he came to me', Wilde explained making it hard for Zolf not to feel offended. 

'He simply reacted to his name, I don't see how that would make you think he was a stray cat. Just because he's not some fancy Siamese breed doesn't mean he has no owner. I was worried about him, he was gone for two whole days', Zolf stopped before sounding too enraged.

'Listen, I'm sorry I caused you to worry about Ernest. I quite frankly didn't think to much about his potential owner. Hopefully, now that I'm not a complete stranger to you, it's fine if he comes over now and then. The two of them get along really well. And of course you are invited to come over and check on him any time', Wilde said with a wink that made the residue of Zolf's anger evaporate, all of his attention now directed towards trying not to blush. 

'Well, I'm glad we can agree on that, I guess I'm gonna go then, I left something on the stove' Zolf excused himself, aware of how poorly his improvised reason for leaving so soon was. While he was still occupied trying to remove a very affectionate and heavy Siamese cat from his lap Wilde watched him with obvious amusement. 

'It really is a shame your leaving so soon but we don't want to risk letting your house burn down, do we?', Wilde said as Zolf was making his way to the door, 'I really hope we can continue our conversation another time', he remarked with more sincerity than Zolf had expected from him.

In the end Wilde completely failed his part of their agreement but Zolf made sure to visit the two Ernests quite regularly at Oscar's house. Somehow his visits still continued after he had given Ernest back to his brother.


End file.
